If a star has 12 solar masses, what is its likely fate according to the mass threshold discussed?

If a star has 12 solar masses, what is its likely fate according to the mass threshold discussed?

• A. White dwarf
• B. Main sequence star
• C. Black hole
• D. Nova

Answer: (C)

Massive stars end their lives after fusing up to iron, and the fate of their remnant depends on how much mass is left once the outer layers are blown away. There’s a threshold: if the collapsing core is heavy enough—roughly a few solar masses—the gravity of the core overwhelms all pressure support and a black hole forms. A star with about 12 solar masses builds a substantial core, and when it collapses, the remnant is likely to exceed that threshold, making a black hole the most probable outcome. White dwarfs come from much less massive stars, and novae involve a white dwarf in a binary system, so they don’t apply here. The star won’t remain on the main sequence after death, since its life cycle ends in collapse rather than a stable phase. So, the likely fate for a 12 solar mass star is a black hole.

Massive stars end their lives after fusing up to iron, and the fate of their remnant depends on how much mass is left once the outer layers are blown away. There’s a threshold: if the collapsing core is heavy enough—roughly a few solar masses—the gravity of the core overwhelms all pressure support and a black hole forms. A star with about 12 solar masses builds a substantial core, and when it collapses, the remnant is likely to exceed that threshold, making a black hole the most probable outcome. White dwarfs come from much less massive stars, and novae involve a white dwarf in a binary system, so they don’t apply here. The star won’t remain on the main sequence after death, since its life cycle ends in collapse rather than a stable phase. So, the likely fate for a 12 solar mass star is a black hole.